Neck-yoke iron



(No Model) 7 W. ORAPORD & JJ'S. ATKINSON.

' NECK YOKB IRON.

' No. 577,360 Patented Feb. 16, 1897.

WITNESSES: L

ATTORNEY NITE STATES ATENT Prion.

WELCOME CRAFORD AND JOSEPH S. ATKINSON, OF BAYFIELD, XVISCONSIN.

'NECK-YOKE IRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,360, dated February16, 1897.

Application filed July 28, 1896.

T0 (.LZZ whom it 'nuty concern/.-

Be it known that we, WELCOME CRAFORD and JOSEPH S. ATKINSON, ofHayfield, in the county of Bayfield and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and Improved Neck- Yoke Iron, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to so con struct the irons of neck-yokesthat they will be simple, durable, and economic and conveniently andreadily repaired when necessary, and whereby, with the aid of but twosnaps, a teamster may couple or uncouple the horses in the coldestweather without removing his mittens or other coverings from the hand;and the invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofthe several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a neck-yoke having the improved ironapplied to one of its ends, and Fig. 2 is an end view of the neck-yokeand the attached iron.

In carrying out the invention the iron A is applied to the neck-yoke Bin the usual manner, namely, at the ends. The iron consists of a tubularend section and a rearwardly and downwardly inclined lip-section 11which mainly engages with the bottom and bottom side portions of theyoke, as is shown in Fig. 1. A heel-flange 12 is formed longitudinallyupon the bottom of the lip-section 11 at each side of the centerthereof, and the said flanges are made to terminate at a point near the'connection of the lip with the body of the iron.

The flanges 12 form virtually heel-guards for the space between theflanges, said space being designated by the reference-numeral 12, andlikewise serve to protect the inner end portion of a spring 14:, whichis fitted between the aforesaid flanges 12 and is secured to the lipportion of the iron by means of a rivet 15 or the equivalent of thesame--as, for example, a screw may be substituted for the rivet andextend through the spring and the iron into the neck-yoke.

At the outer end of the bottom portion of the body 10 aninwardly-extending hook 13 Serial No. 600,749. (No model.)

is formed, preferably integral with the body, and the outer end of thespring 14 rests upon the top portion of the said hook 13, which servesas a guard for the spring. The space between the hook and the forwardterminals of the flanges 12, forming the heel-guard, is more or lessoutwardly arched, as illustrated in Fig. 1, andat or near the center ofthis arched surface a stirrup 16 is downwardly projected from the bodyof the iron, through which the spring 14 is loosely passed. The ring 17,adapted for attachment to the harness, is made to surround the bodyportion of the neck-yoke between the stirrup and the spring-guard 13.

It is evident that this iron may be operated, even in the coldest ofweather, with the gloves on the hand of the operator since all that isnecessary will be to push up the spring 14 at that point between theforward ends of the heel-guards 12 and the stirrup 16, where-- upon thering 17 may then be readily removed from the space between the stirrupand the spring-guard 13 or as readily inserted in the said space tooccupy a position around the iron, as shown in the drawings.

The device is exceedingly simple and economic. The spring 14:, asheretofore stated, normally engages with the guard 13, and the outerportions of the guard-flanges 12 are of sufficient depth or width toprotect the spring 14 even when in its lowermost position, enabling thespring also to be carried upward to a close contact with the bodyportion of the iron.

It may be further stated that one feature of our invention whichstrongly recommends its use is the fact that it does away with eightharnesssnaps to a double harness, which snaps are much more liable tobreak than the ones upon our irons.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. A neck-yoke iron comprising a tubular body,a lip projected from the lower rear portion of the body, the said lipbeing provided on its under face with a longitudinal flange at each sideof its center, the said flanges terminating at a point near the junctionof the lip with the body, a spring located in the space between the saidflanges, a bearing for the spring located at the outer end portion ofthe body, and a stirrup located between the end of the lip-flanges andthe said bearing and through which the said spring passes, as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. A neck-yoke iron comprising a tubular body, a lip projectedhorizontally from the lower end portion of the said body, the said lipbeing provided with a flange at each side of its center, increasing inwidth in direction of their outer ends, a spring located in the spacebetween the said flanges, having its inner end attached to the iron, astirrup secured to the body, through which the spring passes, and asupport located at the under forward portion of the body, with which thespring is normally in engagement, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

3. In a neck-yoke iron, the combination, with a tubular body portion anda lip extending horizontally from the lower rear end of the body, thesaid lip having a flange at each side of the center of its bottomsurface, which flanges increase in depth in direction of their outerends, of a spring located in the space between the flanges, having itsinner end scoured to the iron, a hook-sl1aped and rearwardly-extendingguard located at the under forward portion of the body of the iron, thefree end of the spring normally engaging with the upper face of thehorizontalmember of the said hook-shaped guard, and a stirrup locatedbetween the hook'shaped guard and the outer end of the lip-flanges,through which stirrup the aforesaid spring passes, as and for thepurpose specified.

\VELCOME CRAFORD. JOSEPH S. ATKINSON.

Vitnesses:

W. W. Downs, CARRIE ATKINSON.

